New Delhi: It wasn't
just heart-shaped chocolates and bright red roses that saw a spurt
in sales this Valentine's Day. A deadly drug prepared from cobra
venom gave a new high at parties in the national capital and
surrounding areas, anti-narcotics officials say.

"The sale of drugs (like K-72 and K-76) which have cobra venom is
increasing at rave parties and in discos. These drugs enhance
sensation and boost energy so that revellers can dance for longer
hours," a senior officer of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
told IANS on condition of anonymity.

"The sales increase a week before Valentine's Day in Delhi and NCR
(National Capital Region) and are consumed at hushed-up parties,"
he added.

Delhi Police Monday night seized half-a-litre of venom, which was
extracted from cobras, reptiles which are accorded the highly
endangered tag under the Wildlife Act.

The raid, at Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminus in east Delhi,
was conducted following a tip-off from the People for Animals (PFA),
an animal welfare organisation.

Wildlife activists say that cobra venom, which is processed into a
powder, is emerging as a favoured drug among adolescents and
party-buffs.

"Police seized five cobras just two days before Valentine's Day.
Similar seizures were conducted before Diwali and New Year. The
drugs are commonly used in Delhi and NCR; many are commonly called
K-72 and K-76," Sourabh Gupta, a wildlife activist with PFA, told
IANS.

He added that half-a-litre of venom costs a couple of crores of
rupees in the international market.

To extract that amount of venom, the illegal traffickers would
have killed as many as 100 cobras, which is a violation of the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Indian Wildlife Act.

A pinch of the powder is used in cold drinks or alcohol. About 500
ml venom, processed into powder, can be used in 1,000 litres of
alcohol.

"Due to their dwindling numbers, cobras, which were on Schedule IV
in 2006, are now placed on Schedule I of the act, thus according
them very high protection. But they are still being widely
traded," Gupta added.

According to bureau sleuths, apart from the deadly K-72 and K-76,
drugs like cocaine, ephedrine, methylene di-oxy methamphetamine (MDMA)
-- commonly known as ecstasy -- rohypnol and LSD, all of which are
called party drugs, see a 5 to 10 percent spike in sales a week
before Valentine's Day.

Surinder Kumar Sharma, counsellor in the Society for Promotion of
Youth and Masses (SPYM), who has battled drug addiction himself,
said: "The usage of party drugs among the student community is
less known. Usually, upper class adolescents take party drugs.
Mostly, girls think taking party drugs is cool, naughty and
fashionable."

While the party drugs come at a price of Rs.2,000-5,000 per pill,
a pinch of K-72 and K-76 costs Rs.20,000-25,000.

"Youngsters prefer both party pills and alcohol mixed with K-72,
as they can be consumed easily. After they drink, they get such a
high that they don't know where they are or what they are doing,"
Gupta said.

When IANS contacted Delhi Police, they said the drug scene in the
capital is not as serious as in cities like Mumbai.

"Use of party drugs by youths in Delhi is much less than in Mumbai
and other metros. We have not found any trend existing where
youngsters are hooked on to the drugs made out of highly venomous
cobra," Additional Deputy Commissioner (Narcotics Cell) Sanjay
Bhatia told IANS.

As per NCB data, since January 2009, a total of 108 Nigerians have
been arrested in Delhi on charges of drug trafficking.

"Major drugs seized include heroin, cocaine, MDMA and LSD. We are
seeing an increasing trend in the sale of drugs made out of highly
venomous cobra. We have increased our interdiction efforts against
the traffickers by galvanising the intelligence network and
mounting surveillance," the NCB official added.

NRI business magnate M.A. Yusuf Ali has been selected for the
prestigious Interfaith Harmony Award specially endowed with United
Nations' Interfaith Harmony Week initiatives and observations.
Ali is one of Kerala's most »

Picture of the Day

A month-long showcase, "Dawn Upon Delhi: Rise of a Capital", which
opened at the NGMA late Monday evening, has now recreated the
making of the city of Delhi from the Mutiny of 1857 to the present
day with more than 250 rare documents. Part of this collection
above is an artist's view of early 19th century Delhi.

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